this morning on "early today," done deal. the nfl inks a late-night agreement to get regular refs back on the field. candidate clash, president obama and mitt romney nearly cross paths as they campaign in key battleground states. and under the sea. google takes its virtual street view to incredible new depths. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with game on. late last night the nfl reached a tentative deal with its referees and that ended this season's lockout. anger over the use of replacement refs spilled over

after monday night's contest between the green bay packers and the seattle seahawks. the fill-in refs awarded a game-winning touchdown to seattle, though many felt the packers had made an interception. two days of marathon labor negotiations followed. the refs still have to vote on the deal, but commissioner roger goodell has lifted the lockout just in time for tonight's match-up between the cleveland browns and baltimore ravens. nbc's fred roggin will have few details coming up in just a few minutes in sports. but first, president obama and republican presidential candidate mitt romney both campaign in the battleground state of virginia today after nearly crossing paths in another key swing state, ohio. nbc's tracie potts is joining from us washington with those details. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. virginia, four years ago, the president won that state after 44 years of voters there selecting republicans, but then ey flipped and switched their democratic governor for a republican, so, some back and

forth in virginia, and now the president hopes to win that state back. president obama and mitt romney campaign in virginia today, where median income is 23% higher than the national average, and unemployment's way lower, under 6%. like ohio wednesday, the president's expected to hammer romney for his comments on the 47% of voters who don't pay taxes. >> i don't know how many of you will be with me this time around, but -- but it doesn't matter, because i'm running to be your president, to represent everybody. >> we're going to help those that need our help. we're a compassionate people. >> reporter: romney's ten points behind in ohio, according to quinnipiac university. that's a bigger gap than nbc and "the washington post" reported. no republican's ever won a presidency without winning this state. >> i'm going to win ohio. i'm going to become the next president, in part because i'm going to have support of people in ohio. >> reporter: the two literally

almost passed each other campaigning, traveling on the same road through ohio. ohio begins early voting next week. iowa starts today. and we are already hearing from officials in iowa that requests for absentee ballots there in some areas are already up 30% over 2008. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thanks so much. world leaders at the united nations discussed violence in syria, rebel forces attacked the capital and reported the deadliest day of the civil war. more than 340 people are reported to have died yesterday in fighting across the country. in damascus, a white van exploded outside the military command center. a second bomb went off about ten minutes later inside the compound. and gun battles went on for hours. 4 guards were killed and 14 others were injured in that attack. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today in america." in texas, a fast-food restaurant

there became a house of horrors for one employee. the worker was forced at gunpoint to empty three cash registers into the masked robber's bag. the early-morning robbery ended when the employee was shoved into a freezer and the suspect escaped. police have not made any arrests. a special guest arrived at a hawaiian vacation resort in unique fashion. after an hour of labor, a 12-year-old dolphin gave birth to a female calf last month. the dolphin was born inside a manmade lagoon where tourists can swim with the marine mammals. they start right away, huh? the baby dolphin is now 30 days old and doing well. and finally, our green bay nbc affiliate had a great time all at the expense of the nfl and its referee controversy. >> this is your replacement weather guy forecast. it looks like it's going to be bad out there, people. 200 degrees below today we're

looking at. and it's really going to heat up. it's going to be like 346 degrees by noon. >> see? the weather's really easy. anyone can do it. in addition to the odd temps, the weatherman also predicted a thunder hurricane, but he was saved when the real weatherman eventually showed up to give the correct forecast. and to give you your correct forecast, we have nbc meteorologist, certified, might i add, bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> this is to show you how important we really are, or how important we like to make ourselves seem. >> we like to let you think it. >> you know the size of texas, big state. >> oh, yeah. >> alaska even bigger. why am i telling you this? how random are we getting? look at this monster-sized storm in the gulf of alaska. this has produced 34-foot seas, we're seeing winds gusting 60 to 70 miles per hour to the southern portions of the storm and definitely over the open

waters here. so, this is an amazing storm and just a huge storm, too. thankfully, though, it's going to weaken from here on out and it approaches alaska. the biggest impact will be the strong northerly winds and we will see just little rain out of this, but the northerly winds will be really gusting, even inland on the back side. as far as in the west, usually when you have a big, huge storm like that up in the gulf of alaska, even the weather pattern's pretty tranquil on the west coast of the united states. and you can see just to the north here some of the southern portion of those clouds on that cold front to the south of that storm that will be moving in through canada during the day today, but overall, it's a very quiet day, just a few clouds are lingering on the coast. so, the forecast for today. again, with that storm up in alaska, usually the winds are out of the south and kind of spreads some of the warm air to the north, so we're going to be 82 today in portland, 83 there in boise and even seattle, after a couple days in the 60s, getting back up near 74, and we're seeing very enjoyable, warm-weather conditions continuing interior of california and down there in arizona. that's a look atweather, enjoy

lasts. even san diego today not bad, up near 80. i like those big, huge storms. i'm a big fan of that "deadliest catch" show. i can just picture the boats on the big, huge storms in the gulf of alaska. >> it's always nice to get insight into your mind, bill, this early in the morning. well, another union deal, student debt climbs, and a new meaning to the term canine cop. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, have "twilight" stars kristen stewart and robert pattinson taken their trial reunion to a new level? coming up, a home run derby in baltimore, there's a new leader in a.l. central, and strike up the band, the nfl referees are coming back. you're watching "early today." >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by new

just for men autostop. gray is over.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. protests in athens turned violent over greece's austerity measures. hundreds of rioters hurled gasoline bombs and chunks of marble at police, who in turn used tear gas on the mob. a u.s. army brigadier general has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct. jeffrey sinclair, who served in iraq and afghanistan, is accused of what the army describes as forced sex with female subordinates. fans are remembering legendary singer andy williams, who died tuesday at the age of 84 after a year-long battle with bladder cancer. williams' hits included "moon river" and the holiday classic "the most wonderful time of the year." the decades-long search for jimmy hoffa has now led to the driveway of a home near detroit. a tip from a dying man was

credible enough for authorities to announce they're going to test soil samples from underneath the driveway, though they doubt any remains found would actually be from the former teamster's boss. and if you thought google maps were a good way to get around town, well, check this out. users can now navigate their way under water. these pictures of coral reefs are displayed much like the street view feature. so it comes in handy when you want to go scuba diving. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,413 after falling 44 points yesterday. the s&p lost 8. the nasdaq dropped 24. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo nikkei gained 43, while in hong kong, the hang seng jumped 234. well, mixed housing data and unrest in europe extended the s&p's losing streak on wednesday. the median price of new homes sold in august rose by a record

amount. however, sales of new homes dipped slightly. that took a toll on homebuilders pulte group, kb and beazer. austerity protests in europe, like these in spain, blunted any optimism about the housing market. the bank of spain warned the country is in a deep recession. american greetings jumped 17% after its executives said the company could soon go private. canadian autoworkers union reached a new tentative labor contract with chrysler group late yesterday following similar deals with ford and gm. new research from the pew center finds a record one in five u.s. households were saddled with student loan debt in 2010. that's more than double the number of homes with college debt in 1989. the average amount owed $26,682. u.s. bank and pnc have joined the likes of jpmorgan chase, bank of america, and wells fargo in reporting their websites have been hacked.

a cyber watchdog agency recently increased warnings of such attacks, which some are blaming on iran. red lobster and olive garden parent darden restaurants, along with sears, are changing their approach to employee health care. both companies will soon give employees a fixed sum and allow them to choose their own medical coverage and insurer. and finally, one small town has really gone to the dogs. the police chief of vaughn, new mexico, resigned yesterday. the problem with that, vaughn's only certified police force member is now a drug-sniffing german shepherd named mika. and he's really scary, so don't get all rowdy. coming up, the yanks ace dominates a slugfest in baltimore, and the tigers play top cat. plus, how to really use your head in hockey. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. i've heard reports

celebrations from the rainfall and the drought and there's more to come. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, as we mentioned earlier, the nfl has announced it has reached a tentative deal

with its referees. this all happened last night. and for more on that and all your sports headlines, here's fred roggin. >> good morning. it took a few months, a number of blown calls, and a monday night debacle for the nfl to finally come to their senses. the league hammered out a deal ending the lockout with their officials. the regular referees will be back tonight. it's too bad. i really feel like people were starting to warm up to the replacement refs. there's no replacement for september baseball. tigers and royals. miguel cabrera is on the verge of winning the triple crown. he's a home run behind josh hamilton, but this was just a long out to left. alex gordon robbed him at the wall and it kept the game tied at 4-4. forget the home run, all the tigers needed was textbook base running. two aboard for jhonny peralta, a grounder to third and the dirt flew into second, broke up the double play. in came the go-ahead run and that was the difference. detroit won it 5-4. the white sox lost so the tigers are now in soul possession of first place in the central. indians rally from two down and won it 6-4. in the a.l. east, yanks had no trouble with the twins. robinson cano ripped an rbi

double to right and the yankees were up 2-1. that's all cc sabathia needed. he has struggled through september. looked like his old self yesterday. he struck out ten 10 over eight innings. yanks won it 8-2. the orioles are hot on their tails. they had one out and hit the cover off the ball. chris davidson, manny machado both hit a pair of homers. in fact, every run baltimore scored came off a home run. they beat the jays, walloped them, 12-2. they remain a game and a half back. and finally, the referees ended their lockout, so how about the nhl? if fans want to see their favorite players, they've got to go overseas, or they can watch us. the red wings paulo datos is in russia where he channeled his inner reinaldo. the puck went up and he headed it into the goal. unfortunately, that only counts in soccer, but you can't blame the guy for trying. paulo used his head. now let's hope the nhl and its owners use theirs to end the lockout. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. well, more wardrobe woes for england's prince william and his wife kate. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead.

plus, from the golden gate bridge to the grand canyon, these little girls have seen most or more than most do in a lifetime. you're watching "early today."

welcome back early today on this thursday morning. hope you're off to a good start. weatherwise, very quiet day today as a big storm in the gulf of alaska is bringing big

problems up in coastal alaska, but the west quieter than should be. warmer, too, portland up to 82 today. we're about the same in vegas, phoenix and much of california, boise at 83. and as we look at tomorrow's forecast, not a lot changes, actually. it's going to look very similar to today. if you're watching on nbc 7 in san diego, get hands on with real mossils. learn about the evolution in extinction of the dinosaur. that fossilmysteries at the natural history museum. that's your "pacific event of the day." bill, thank you so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. following recent reports of a reconciliation, are kristen stewart and robert pattinson taking things to the next level? >> i hope so. >> we all do, right? "us weekly" reports the "twilight" stars are once again living together after their brief split due to stewart's affair with director rupert sanders. a source tells the magazine, however, pattinson is on edge. he's extra sensitive and a little insecure right now. that's understandable. meanwhile, "ok!" magazine claims

the pair are planning a secret getaway in an attempt to mend their relationship. they will be probably sought after, wherever they're going. jenny "jwoww" farley of "jersey shore" fame tells "in touch" she's engaged to longtime boyfriend robert matthews after he popped the question during a sky diving session. how about that? jwoww says the first person she called to break the good news any guesses? her best friend snooki. and finally, there was a royal faux pas committed earlier last week during prince william and kate middleton's tour of the solomon islands. apparently, locals were a little offended when the couple wore festive clothing from the cook islands, which are located nearly 3,000 milesway. well, this comes to us from whag news in hagerstown, maryland, where in nearby harpers ferry, west virginia, a

12-year-old girl is headed towards a unique travel accomplishment. maria has a vest that boasts 348 badges, one for every u.s. national park she's been to. the junior ranger started visiting the park with her family before she even learned to walk. her 9-year-old twin sisters gina and lisa aren't far behind. they boast 290 each. and with 367 national parks total, their goal is well within reach. how many do you have? >> i love national parks. i think i've only been to probably 15. >> that's pretty good! >> but that's -- 300? i mean, it's crazy! >> every single holiday is at a national park. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, in china pint-size robots could give you a run for your money on the dance floor. watch out. operated by tiny motors, the robots are able to move in sync with the music around them. they have flexible limbs and are actually quite skilled at keeping their balance. the robots kept crowds entertained at the 13th western china international fair. i don't know how they do on tables though so we'll have to see. well, mother nature showed no mercy for some motorcyclists in china. 99 motorists sped their way up 700 steps for the international stairway racing festival. a morning rain made the stairs really slippery and it caused more than a few tumbles. the motorcycles are just one part of the festival which is also said to include a race on foot and a really bizarre one featuring cows and sheep. >> where's that one? >> we're going to wait on that one.

hold on. and finally, in england, if you decide to fly the coop, there will be someone to count your chickens. this is a true story. a chicken hotel offers accommodations for hen owners when they go on vacation. guests are pampered and fed fresh vegetables every day housed in pens with ten-foot runs, and eggs are even collected and kept for when the owners return. hens can even be taken out on walks in a stroller. that's nicer than my own hotel stays. >> where do you find this stuff, by the way? >> i just dig all night long. why do you think i get here at like 6:00 last night? i spent all day. >> racing cows and sheep and you don't show me the video? come on! >> oh, when they do, we will show it. and it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. a federal appeals court in new york will consider a challenge to the defense of marriage act which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions. 83-year-old edith windsor filed a lawsuit over a $363,000 federal tax bill she received after the woman she married died

in 2009. windsor would have been exempt from the taxes if she had been married to a man. nasa will hold a conference call to present findings from the curiosity rover's mission to mars' gail crater. and happy birthday to actress gwyneth paltrow. she turns 40 years old today. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. meet a man who's become an internet sensation after posting a series of photo-shopped pictures of him and his daughter that he calls "world's best father." and actress and former talk show host alana stewart shares stories from her new memoire "rear view mirror." and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.